Page 16 of All We Want for Christmas
‘Yeah. Well, not really, but – can we talk about it later? I really need to have something go well today.’
‘It’s not Henry, is it?’
‘No, he’s doing well. Staying in hospital tonight and Fiona said they might let him out tomorrow. Belle, my conservator friend, came to have a look atit.’
‘Ah.’ He grimaced. ‘How did that go?’
Lara checked no one was in earshot. ‘She can’t do it. Or doesn’t think she should, and I agree. But I’m not going to tell anyone about it …’ She lowered her voice further. ‘Can we talk about it another time?’
Flynn nodded. ‘Definitely. Shall we see the light trail?’
From the moment Flynn had shown her the brightly lit archway at the entrance, Lara had felt her emotions bubbling up. This was the culmination of all her team’s hard work.
The route had begun in the shrubbery, where the topiary yew hedges were lit with a changing palette of pink, blue, orange and white light that highlighted illuminated dragons, chess pieces and a griffon like the one on the Ravendale coat of arms.
‘Here we are: Santa’s Grotto!’ Flynn declared.
The Ice House, normally a dank cave built into a small slope, had been transformed into a magical fairy cavern inside and out. All the trees and bushes leading to it were glowing with lanterns, while two full-sized illuminated reindeer grazed on the roof.
‘It looks way better than I’d ever imagined. Like a fairyland.’
‘I’m glad you like it. Is it OK that the reindeer are on the roof? I know the design showed them outside the entrance, but when the contractors set it up, I asked them to move the figures to the top. I think they have more impact and you can see them from further away.’
‘I don’t mind at all. I think they look brilliant up there. Almost real.’ She laughed.
‘The kids will absolutely love it.’
‘Phew. I’m pleased it’s worked out. Don’t worry, I haven’t tinkered with any of your other designs.’
All along the trail, the garden statues were aglow with coloured lights. At the formal gardens, the pond and central fountain were illuminated and accompanied by dramatic classical music.
‘Pretty impressive, eh? The music really elevates the effect. I hear you chose it.’
Lara could only nod, dumbstruck by the spectacular beauty of the light display and the stirring music rising to a crescendo.
They moved on through the children’s play area adorned with glowing figures of the woodland creatures that often visited the estate: red squirrels, badgers and foxes. There was also an interactive floor area where the children could set off a video of fish swimming through a pond.
‘This might be my favourite,’ Flynn said, leading the way to the Great Oak, one of the estate’s oldest trees. Bright beams played over its trunk and lit up the canopy and the branches like skeletal fingers reaching for the night sky.
A shuttered cabin nearby would be aglow once they opened, selling hot chocolate and toasted marshmallows and mulled wine – as would the Castle Café. They hadn’t even reached the courtyard, where projections of giant snowflakes would circle the castle walls, or had a chance to take in the dramatic green and purple lights highlighting the tower.
‘Imagine everywhere full of excited kids, and with the choir singing carols in the courtyard,’ Flynn said wistfully.
‘It’s … lovely …’ Lara managed, too full of emotions to speak much. Embarrassingly, she felt a tear threatening to escape.
‘Hey,’ Flynn said, turning to her with a concerned frown. ‘Are you OK? What’s up? You’re not … disappointed, are you?’
‘No, no,’ she insisted. ‘The opposite. It’s just such a relief to see everything in place and looking so much better than I even dreamed. Planning and organising it has been such a long slog and, at times, I wondered if it would actually happen, let alone be this good.’
‘Well, it is, and that’s down to you.’
She shrugged off the praise even though she secretly liked it. ‘And the designers and techies at Wizard. They worked really hard, even if, up until a week ago, I was worried it would never come together.’
‘Your vision and ideas started it and brought it to this point. I only took over at the very last moment.’
‘Maybe, but Henry and Fiona have put their faith in me.’
‘From what I hear from the staff, it seems as if everyone has been waiting to see the castle illuminated. This is a moment to take a breath and pat yourself on the back.’
